Cigar-bunching machine.



No. 650,36l. Patented May 22, I900.

A. GORDON.

CIGAR BUNGHING MACHINE.

(Application filed June 5, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

' (No Model.)

m: mums PETERS co. PNOTO-LIIHD.. wAsmmsYou, q c.

No. 650,36l. Patented May 22, I900. A. GORDON.

CIGAR BUNCHING MACHINE.

(Application filed June 5, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrics.

ALEXANDER eonnoiv, on DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

CIGAR-BUNCHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 650,361, dated May 22, 1900.

' Application filed M. 5:, 1299. team... 719,474.. (re ain T0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER GORDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gigar-Bunching Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

In the present state of the art of cigarbunching machines the rolling of the hunch is commonly effected by the relative movement of the bunching-roll, the bunching-table, and a bunching-cloth, the operation being, broadly speaking, substantially the same in all machines of the type. In practical use of various machines of this type, however, the character of the product differs as' greatly as the hand products produced by workmen differing indegree of skill.

It is the object of my present invention to obtain a bunching-machine that will form a bunch of the same character as that produced by a skilled workman and in which the time necessary for the operation is reduced to the minimum.

To these ends the invention consists in the peculiar construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a sectional perspective view of a portion of my machine. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a section on line a: :c, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on line 3 y, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sec- -tional plan of the parts shown in Fig. 4: substantially on line .2 a, Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is an end elevation, partly in section, of the parts shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing parts in different positions.

A is a suitable framework in .which is mounted a bunching-table B, which is pref-' erably slidingly secured in horizontal guide ways 0, extending across the frame.

D is thebun chin g-roll, j ournaled in bearings and extending longitudinally of the machine above the plane of the table.

E is-the apron, oneend of which is secured to the forward end' of the bunching-table, while the opposite end is secured to a reel F. This reel is journaled in suitable bearings in .the frame and is provided with mechanism for positively driving it during the operation of. the machine, whereby the pocket containing the bunch is contracted and the proper tension is maintained during the rolling of the bunch. In the construction which I preferably employ and which is illustrated in the drawings the reel F is arranged beneath the path of the bunching table and is loosely sleeved upon the shaft G, extending longitudinally of the machine. This shaft G forms a part of the driving mechanism for reciprocating the bunching-table to this end and is provided with the gear-wheels H and H,

' mounted thereon upon opposite sides of the reel F, which gears are adapted to mesh with racks I on the bottom of the bunching-table. The shaft G is driven by means of a pinion J thereon, with which a segmental rack K is adapted to mesh, this rack being carried by the arm L, pivotally securedin the frame, and being actuated by the cam M, engaging with the pin N on said arm.

The reel F is driven through the medium of a pinion O, secured thereto, with which a segmental rack P on the arm P meshes, said arm being actuated by a cam preferably formed on the opposite side'of the cam M and engaging with a pin Q on the arm P. The

' cam M is mounted upon a shaft R and is provided with means for intermittently actuating it to turn a single revolution. As,however, the particular means employed for this purpose form no part of my present inven tion, I .havenotdeemed it necessary to illustratethe same. The bunching-table B is preferably provided with the rearward-extending arms B, at the end of which are formed journals for a roll 13*, extending across between said arms.

- S is a binder table arranged above the bunching-table and mounted for reciprocation in the frame preferably by means of the antifriction-rolls a, secured to the table and engaging with guide-slots b in the frame. This table is provided with means for reoip rocating it, preferably comprising the arms a, pivotally secured at one end to the rear end of the table and at their forward ends extending into the path of lugs 61 on the bunchingtable. Each of the arms a is formed with a break-joint e, from the pivot of which extends roll f reaches the inclined portion g of the guide the joint e will be broken and will permit the lugs to disengage from the arms, as

shown in Fig. 7.

it represents sprocket-chains extending beneath the binder-table and secured thereto at one point, as at h, Fig. 4. These chains run freely over sprockets 1 journaled in the frame.

j represents lugs secured to the chains h,

' which extend into the path of the lugs 11 after the latter have become disengaged from the arms 0. Thus in the farther rearward movement of the bunching-table the lugs d, engaging with the lugsj, will cause the rotation of the sprocket-chains, which will carry the binder-table back to its initial position. In orderto secure the proper degree of movement of the bunchi'ngtable without extending the racks I beyond the forward end of the table, I preferably provide the driving-pinions T, which are adapted to mesh with the racks I and are driven from the pinions H and K through the medium of intermediate pinions U. The racks I are thus permitted to move out of engagement with the gearwheels H H and are driven in their extreme rearward movement by the pinions T.

The parts being constructed as so far described, the operation of the machine is as follows: The operator places the binder upon the table S and the filler in the pocket V, formed by the slack in the apron between the table B and the roll D. Then by means of a suitable lever or other actuating connection the mechanism is tripped and motion is imparted to the cam M, which will actuate the arms L and P to produce the following movement of parts: In the first part of the operation the binder-table S and bunchingtable 13 move rearward together until the table S comes into proximity to the roll D. During this movement the roll B will have moved rearward, and as the apron E extends across the path of this roll after passing 1 aroun'dthe roll D it also will be carried back.

The necessary slack for this movement is, however, in the first instance provided by the unwinding of the reel F, which is timed to pay out a length of the apron corresponding to the rearward movement of the roll B so that the pooh t V remains uncontracted until the bunching-table B has reached a position beneath the roll D and the pocket is closed. In the next step in the operation the bunching-table remains stationary for abrief interval, while the reel F is turned in the opposite direction to wind up the apron and contract the pocket V to suitably press the bunch. IVhenthis is accomplished, the rearward movement of the bunching-table is continued while the reel F is again reversed and pays out the apron, so as to maintain a uniformtension on the bunch during its subsequent rolling between the bunching-table and roll D. Atthe beginning of the rolling of the bunch the binder on the table S (which latter has been moved forward with the bunching-table by the lugs 61 and arms 0) will be drawn in and rolled around the bunch, after which the binder-table will be returned through the engagement of the lugs and j in the manner before described.

This return of the binder table before the completion of the operation of rolling the bunch enables the operator to place the binder for a second bunch upon the table,and thus when the bunching-table has again been returned the hands of the operator are free to place the filler in the pocket. Thus considerable time is saved over machines in which the binder must first be placed in the pocket before the filler. After the rolling of the bunch is completed it will be deposited in a suitable holdingclamp W at the forward end of the .bunching-table, and said table will then be returned by a' reverse movement of the pinious T and gears II and H. The movement of the parts timed as above described is efiected by a suitable formation of the cam M, which is preferably provided with grooves upon its opposite side, with which the pins N and Q engage, which grooves are indicated in full and dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

To insure the perfect rolling of the bunch, I preferably provide the swinging guide-fingers k at opposite ends of the roll D, which project into the pocket V and form guides for the apron during the rolling; but as these fingers form no part of the present invention I deem it unnecessary to describe them in further detail.

The apron E is preferably attached to a take-up connection on said reel, which I have shown as comprising a roll m,having a ratchetwheel at the end adapted to be adjustably held from rotation by a dog n. This device enables the operator'to readily adjust the degree of slack in the apron to bring any desired degree of compression on the bunch.

Practical tests of the above-described machine have demonstrated that the bunch rolled is free from the defectscommon to most machine-rolled bunches and, in fact, compares favorably with the best handwork of skilled workmen. This improved quality of the bunch rolled by my machine (which, while unappreciated by the ordinary observer, is instantly detected by the touch of an expert) I believe to be due to the manner in which the tension on the apron is governed and to the fact that I employ a positively-driven reel for taking up or paying out said apron as the rolling of the bunch requires. The reel and the table are thus differentially drivenz'. a, the peripheral speed or the direction of YOU]:

tion of said reel varies in relation to the speed or direction of movement of the table, so as to alter the tension or amount of slack of the apron. It is in this sense that I employ the term differentially in the claims.

WVhat I claim as my invention is 1. In a cigar-bunching machine the combination with the bunching-roll the moving bnnching-table and apron, of areel to which one end of said apron is secured and mechanism for positively driving said reel differentially in relation to the movement of said table.

2. In a ciga'r-bunching machine the combination with the reciprocating bunching-table of a roll arranged above and a reel arranged below said table, an apron secured at one end to said reel, passing therefrom over said roll and secured at its opposite end to said table, and mechanism for positively driving said reel diiferentially in relation to the movement of said table.

3. In a cigar-bunching machine the combination with a frame and the bunching-table mounted for reciprocation therein, of racks secured to the under side of said table, gearwheels meshing with said racks and mounted on a shaft journaled in said frame, a reel sleeved upon said shaft an apron secured at one end to said reel and atits opposite end to said table, and means for driving said shaft and reel difiei'entiall y in timed relation to each other.

4. In a cigar-bunching machine the combination with the bunching-roll the reciprocating bunching-table and an apron having a pocket formed between said roll and table of a binder-table mounted for parallel reciprocation above said bunching-table means for together moving said tables rearward to close said pocket and means for then returning the binder-table during the continued rearward movement of the bunching-table.

5. In a cigar-bunching machine, the combination with the reciprocating bunching-table of a binder-table mounted for parallel reciprocation, a break-joint push-rod connection for driving said binder-table with the bunching-table and means for breaking the joint in said rod at a certain point in the movement to permit of the return of said binder-table during the continued movement of said bunching-table.

6. In a cigar-bunching machine theocombination with the reciprocating bunching-table of a binder-table mounted for parallel reciprocation a projecting lug or finger on said bunching-table, a break-joint push-rod connected at one end to said binder-table and extending with its opposite end in the path of said lug, means for breaking the joint of said rod at a certain point in the movement to disengage said lug therefrom and a return mechanism for said binder-table actuated by the continued movement of said lug after its disengagement from said rod.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER GORDON Witnesses:

M. B. ODOGHERTY, H. 0. SMITH. 

